Recommended Reading: Google starts over, sculpture on the moon and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology in print and on the web. Some weeks, you’ll also find short reviews of books dealing with the subject of technology that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.
The Day Google Had to ‘Start Over’ on Android
(1,933 words)
by Fred Vogelstein, The AtlanticPocket!function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,”pocket-btn-js”);
Back in 2005, Google had tasked teams of engineers with developing a secret mobile product that would position it to better compete with Microsoft. When 2007 rolled around, teams had worked 40- to 80- hour weeks for almost a year in an effort to revolutionize mobile phones. However, Apple was first out of the gate, revealing the iPhone on January 9th and forcing Google to rethink all the work that had been done. Fred Vogelstein recounts the outfit’s post-iPhone Android development and a touchscreen Dream device built to make up for iOS shortcomings.
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Robot Telemarketer Employer: Samantha West Is No Robot Time’s Denver Nicks examines the work habits of Samantha West, a telemarketing robot that will actually deny that label. She’s really more computer software than robot, though, allowing those who don’t speak English well to wade through prospective buyers. Pocket!function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,”pocket-btn-js”); |
This 100-year-old deal birthed the modern phone system. And it’s all about to end. A hundred years ago this week, The Klingsbury Commitment kept AT&T from being another broken-up monopoly that fell under the US anti-trust laws of the early 20th century. Brian Fung takes a look at the letter (one of the first successful PR campaigns) that maintained the company’s hold on telecommunications and the monopoly’s ultimate fall. |
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The mysterious story of the battery startup that promised GM a 200-mile electric car (7,490 words) 200 mile range in an electric car? Well, Envia Systems certainly thought it possible and it struck a deal with GM to power vehicles like the Chevy Volt. One year later, the deal is void, the startup is being accused of misrepresenting its wares and two execs are battling each other in civil suits. So, what went wrong? Pocket!function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,”pocket-btn-js”); |
The Sculpture on the Moon (7,060 words) Paul van Hoerydonck is the only artist to have a sculpture on the moon. Slate’s Corey S. Powell and Laurie Gwen Shapiro tell the story of Fallen Astronaut and the Apollo 15 mission that placed the 3-inch aluminum figure in a small dusty crater in 1971. Pocket!function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,”pocket-btn-js”); |
Filed under: Misc
Feedback Loop: computer names, Google Hangout alternatives, cord-cutting and more
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There’s so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week.
This week, the Engadget community shared how and what they name their devices, switching from Android to iOS (wait, what?), SMS alternatives to the Google Hangouts app, styluses for winter use and whether or not it’s possible to finally cut the cord. Click past the break and read what fellow Engadget users like you have to say.
What do you name your computer?
Futurama characters, Dharma Initiative stations, birds and Latin words. What do all these things have in common? They’re themes Engadget readers said they use when Kris asked how people name their devices. Do you name your computers, phones and tablets? If so, post your names in our forums!
Alternatives to Google Hangouts on Nexus 5?
DaBash doesn’t want to rely on Google Hangouts as the primary communications application on his Nexus 5, and is looking for SMS app recommendations. “I just got my Nexus 5 and I did not like the idea of having my hangout conversations being mixed with my text messages.” Do you have any recommendations? Tell DaBash what your favorite messaging app is.
Documenting the move from Android to iOS
Engadget product research team member frankspin documented his move from Android to iOS and things went a lot better than expected. “As a previous Android user I often saw a lot of Android users exclaim about how coming to Android was such a liberating experience from the grasp of Apple’s walled garden. For the last few years I believed this, but over time I started to open up to what Apple and iOS have to offer.” Share your own experiences when switching mobile platforms.
Stylus recommendations for thick gloves
Winter is here. And that’s why dtanders is looking for advice on styluses that would work while using thick gloves. For those of you who have to deal with the strange concept of winter (hey, we’re pretty spoiled in California), what would you recommend?
Now can we cut the cord?
Each week, it seems new services and hardware are announced that make it easier for consumers to watch television and consume video content how they choose. That’s why johncolucci asked if you can really cut the cord yet. Have you successfully shed the shackles of Big Cable? Tell us how you cut the cord.
That’s all this week! Do you want to talk about your favorite gadget or have a burning question about technology? Register for an Engadget account today, visit the Engadget forums and start a new discussion!
Google Play Books for Android temporarily loses PDF upload support
We hope you weren’t too attached to Google Play Books’ PDF upload support on Android, because you just lost it — albeit temporarily. Following some code sleuthing, Android Police has confirmed that Google removed PDF uploading; for now, you’re limited to transferring EPUB books. The PDF support was experimental, Google says, and should come back with a future app update. That’s unfortunate for anyone hoping to save documents to Play Books, but we won’t object too much when there are at least a few alternatives for sending PDFs to the cloud.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Talk Android
Source: Android Police
Foursquare updates Android app with Ken Burns effect, boosted performance
Foursquare’s rolling out a new Android app, adding in new motion effects and integrating some of this month’s iOS tweaks. That first feature, best known in the video community as the “Ken Burns effect,” animates location header images with panning and zoom. You can still scroll through the top five photos from each venue, but images up top won’t stop moving until you head over to the full-screen gallery tool. Other cosmetic adjustments include a refreshed sidebar, complete with avatar, and an updated profile page that matches the iOS equivalent. In a blog post today, Foursquare also referenced faster load times, though we didn’t notice much of a difference in a quick side-by-side test. Enhanced performance or not, the new version is clearly an improvement. It’s available today on Google Play.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Foursquare (Google Play)
Android smartphone made of solid titanium now available for $1,800
In the past, luxury handset manufacturer Gresso has been known for dressing up iPhones with diamonds (and charging $30,000 for the deed) and producing featurephones, but now it’s getting into the Android business with its limited edition Radical smartphone series. The bottom-line model, the Radical R1, goes for $1,800 and is made of grade 5 solid titanium, while you can also grab a $2,300 version, which features a logo plate adorned with your choice of white or yellow 18K gold (everything else is exactly the same, however). Not too shabby, but the downside is that they don’t necessarily come with the flagship specs you might come to expect from phones that cost a third of the price: The 219g (7.73-ounce) Radicals come with Android 4.1.2, a 4.5-inch qHD screen, dual SIM support, an 8MP rear camera, 36GB internal storage and a quad-core 1.2GHz processor. Don’t wait long to decide, however — only 999 units are available.
Update: we originally reported the R1′s price at $1,500, where in fact it is actually $1,800.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: PhoneArena
Source: Gresso
Samsung Galaxy Gear notification update reaches the US three weeks late
Remember how Samsung promised American Galaxy Gear owners an update that significantly improves third-party notification support? That update is at last rolling out — three weeks behind schedule. Early stateside adopters can now read the basic content of Facebook Messenger conversations, Gmail messages, Hangouts messages and Twitter mentions from their smartwatches. The upgrade should also improve battery life, connection quality and S Voice search performance. While we’d prefer to receive upgrades in a more timely fashion, it’s good to know that the Galaxy Gear is now much more useful to US wearers.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Android Central
Moto G gets KitKat, improved camera features in the US
Given that Motorola’s budget-friendly Moto G launched just last month, you would have figured the mid-range smartphone would have packed some KitKat. Sadly, it did not, but Mountain View’s hardware arm began rolling out Android 4.4.2 to select owners today. If you purchased your Moto G from Amazon or on Motorola.com in the US, it’s time to snag that update. Devices sold through carriers and in other regions will get some love “soon.” The company’s also offering up the same camera update that hit Moto X devices last week, enabling tap to focus and expose, locked exposure for panoramas and support for additional languages. Those camera enhancements will also be making their way to Droid Mini, Maxx and Ultra.
Filed under: Cellphones, Google
Source: Motorola
BlackBerry bringing Channels and Voice Chat to BBM for Android and iOS next year
Remember how excited you were for BBM to hit Android and iOS and then BlackBerry continued to fake us all out with imminent releases? Thankfully, that’s now all in the past and BBM is a reality for those of us not on BB10 devices, but still its feature set leaves something to be desired. The good news is that BlackBerry intends to flesh out BBM in 2014, though not just for the app.
So what’s up ahead? Arguably, the most significant changes are coming to Android and iOS users in the form of BBM Voice and BBM Channels. Think of BBM Voice as you would Skype or Google Hangouts — it’s essentially a way for you to chat with your contacts without touching your allotment of minutes. And Channels, if you’ll remember from our preview this past summer, is basically BlackBerry’s spin on the social network. Both are already available for current BBM users running BB10, so this addition really just brings the rest of BBM’s outsider base up to speed.
BlackBerry’s also looking to make sharing with BBM a less cumbersome process in the new year. Though the company hasn’t elaborated fully on just how it intends to make photo and voice note sharing that much speedier, it seems as if the process will soon require less fussy UI interactions. Users will even be able to divulge their whereabouts with BBM, albeit on a temporary basis and make use of over 100 new emoticons. All of this is coming “in the next couple of months,” so if you need something to sate your curiosity now, check out the video after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: BlackBerry blog
Press 1.5 debuts with polished UI, tons of features
My favorite RSS app for Android, Press, was recently updated to version 1.5. The update brings with it some new features the app had been missing, solidifying its place on my home screen.
In the 1.5 update, the team at Press has added a new night (dark) theme, immersive mode for Android 4.4 KitKat users, and the ability to send articles to Instapaper or Pocket with a tap.
I have been using the update for a little over a week and absolutely what Press has turned into. It went from a great looking app, with a few features missing, to an app full of features, and the looks to match.
The update is free to existing users. New users will be set back $2.99.
The post Press 1.5 debuts with polished UI, tons of features appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Dolphin Zero Android browser protects your privacy, hides your shame
The latest mobile browser from the team at Dolphin promises “the highest level of privacy possible.” A big claim, to be sure, but privacy is unquestionably Dolphin Zero’s central focus, auto deleting your input data, history, cache, cookies and password — basically anything you’re not already saving on your device. We’re not talking top-level encryption here, more something akin to a permanent version of the Incognito Mode you get on Chrome. Though bonus points here for the shredder animation Dolphin incorporates to further the notion of the browser’s ephemeral nature. You can download Zero in the source link below.
Via: Fone Arena
Source: Play
AIVAnet 